Everly || Steve Rogers

1. Thanks I Guess

 ~1933, Age 15~

The books fell from Everly's hands as she was thrown backwards into a wall.

"What'd you just say to me?" A boy with brown hair towered above her. He swept a stray strand from his face before pinning her against the bricks and shoving an accusing finger in her face. Two shorter boys stood behind him, each whispering to the other. Their cackling echoed through the alley like a pair of hyenas.

Everly hesitated for a moment listening to the quickening pace of her heart pounding in her ears. She pondered her answer and watched amusedly as the tallest boy grew angry. She knew every button to push as this was far from their first encounter.

"I said, 'go screw yourself.'" She grinned, spitting at him. He quickly withdrew his hand from her chest and frantically wiped the saliva from his face. Everly took this as her opportunity to escape, though she didn't make it far before being yanked backwards when a hand latched onto her hair.

Both of her wrists were pinned against the wall by the two shorter boys and she yelped in pain. Just one of the boys she may have been able to deal with, but being restrained by both proved to be more difficult.

In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be curled up in the safety of her warm bed, or anywhere far from that cold, dark alley.

Her original attacker slowly composed himself, standing up straighter as if to prove his strength, and turned back to face Everly. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips upon seeing how red and irritated his eye had become.

"You think this is funny?" He scoffed rubbing his eye with the palm of his hand.

"I really do."

Before she even realized what had happened, she fell to the ground as a fist collided with her face. Her cheek instantly began to throb, black spots dancing in her vision. The punch had caught her off guard, and hurt just about as much as she'd thought receiving a punch to the jaw would. She shook her head, as if the sting of the hit could simply be shaken away like a dog ridding itself of water. Much to her dismay, the action only succeeded in making her dizzy.

Everly mustered all the strength she had and tried to pull herself to her feet. A swift kick to the ribs sent her tumbling back to the cool concrete. 

Her attackers towered above her, laughing at her desperate attempts to fill her lungs with air. Her mind cried out for oxygen, though each intake of breath sent a searing hot pain tearing through her chest. She rolled on her side coughing, her face so close to the boots of the boys that the smell of old leather filled her nose.

"I guess it is pretty funny." The tallest boy chuckled, Yanking her from her spot the ground.

Every inch of her wanted to cry. Her eyes burned with tears threatening to spill over, but she wouldn't allow them to fall. She'd sooner lose an arm then give them the satisfaction of seeing her break. 

Everly knew that she didn't stand a chance against the three boys. Any strength remaining was dwindling quickly, so she did the one thing she could think of - she closed her eyes. That's what children do when they're scared isn't it? They close their eyes as if that will keep them safe from the monster lurking in the closet or beneath the bed. Sadly, she knew that wasn't how the real world worked. While the monsters were still very much there, they took the shape of ordinary people. It was only a matter of time before they showed their true colors.

A grunt followed by the clanging of tin falling to the ground met Everly's ears as the fist gripping her shirt loosened so slightly she thought she'd imagined it.